Sandra Cuto: “I photograph when I feel the need”
All of your photos are so full of emotion, that’s actually what I love about them. And most of them are self-portraits right? What goes on in your mind until you decide to take a photo?
Yes, the vast majority of my photos are self-portraits. Although, I have in mind to start shooting other people.
Well, I know it may sound cliché, but in fact I don’t think about it. I photograph when I feel the need. However, I have a few photos saved on my phone that inspire me, most of the times I don’t even plan anything. I just take my camera and let things happen. It’s like I’m in a trance, where the thoughts don’t have space.
Tell me more about your projects #tellingstoriesfrombehind and #agirlwithacolorfulmind: It feels like each of them represents a different person.
To be honest, I never realized that, but now thinking about it, I can see what you mean.
#tellingstoriesfrombehind was my first project and, although it’s a little abandoned now, it’s very special. When I look at these photos, I see sensitivity and elegance. I think it’s very mature and works with my creativity, especially when it comes to editing.
In the other hand, #agirlwithacolorfulmind is all the innocence and youth that there’s in me. It has, in fact, a completely different vibe!
I don’t know if it’s my sign’s fault (gemini here), but I know I have these two sides and, unintentionally, I ended up passing them to these two projects.
Could it be that your Instagram feed is something like a diary?
I don’t see my feed as a diary, but as a part of me, a reflection of who I am. With my photos I want to share my view of the world and also my feelings, but not daily, because that would make me feel obligated to photograph constantly and that’s not the idea! I believe you have to do what you love, but when you want. It has to make you happy.
You’re not afraid to show your own body in your photos. Tell me the reason.
When I started shooting, I had no idea what I wanted to photograph. I ended up falling in love with the artistic nude and all the sensitivity it represents. The nude is able to show the most genuine and fragile side of Man and that charms me.
It hasn’t always been easy to expose my body, mainly because I am still very young and I was afraid of the criticism.
Society has a very sexual view of the body, especially of the woman’s body, and I was worried that my photographs would be misinterpreted.
But I quickly realized that I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I represent the human body with the utmost purity. I show the human body as art because that’s what it is.
I’m not afraid to show my body anymore, because I see no reason to hide it. It’s my way of making art! We have to love ourselves as we are and feel comfortable in our own skin.
I think the concept of this photo is brilliant. Do you agree that every person we meet somehow leaves their mark on us? Would you like to share the story that created this photograph?
Oh thank you!
Yes, definitely! I’m a truly believer that no one comes to our lives by accident. Some people are here to stay, maybe forever, and others just come in a specific time and then leave. Both will leave something in us. We are the result of the people who passed by our lives and of everything we went through.
As I said before, I don’t actually plan what I will photograph. I remember I placed my hand in my arm by instint and in my mind I just knew I wanted to show strength.
When I look at this photo I see the marks of my past. I see what holds us down and will leave a mark on our skin, but I also see the lessons we take from that.
Info: The profile of Sandrsa’s Cuto on instagram is: stolen_desires
